07/19/11

Ron Di SalvioHappily Evans After Blujazz

Ron Di Salvio has a knack for conjuring up clever arrangements for his flexible piano trio, a skill he demonstrated on 2007’s Essence of Green: A Tribute to Kind of Blue. Here he summons up the spirit of pianist Bill Evans on the delicate waltz-time title track and “Carol’s Waltz,” both featuring highly interactive support from bassist Tom Knific and drummer Keith Hall. “Child’s Play” incorporates themes from The Wizard of Oz along with “London Bridge Is Falling Down” and “Pop Goes the Weasel.” The serene “My Space” is a chamber-jazz offering that opens with a quote from Beethoven’s “Sonata in D Minor” before segueing into a spirited Keith Jarrett-ish romp. Other direct influences can be heard on the Afro-Cuban-flavored “Montuno for Monty” and the off-kilter blues “Monk’s Sphere,” which quotes liberally from “Little Rootie Tootie.”